Second Chance
by Merdok2005
Summary: Rose Calvert's husband just passed away and she is left to tend for her three children alone. But what happens when she makes a wish to change everything and go back to the time she was on titanic? Can she she overcome fate, and have what's meant to be?
1. One wish

She could hear the large raindrops that were plummeting on the roof of the low-income apartment she had stayed in for five years now, and it set the mood. Her husband of twelve years had just passed away yesterday, and she had just got the phone call saying that the funeral was set for tomorrow. How many times could her heart be broken? The lightly-dimmed room set no light for her to see the pictures in the scrapbook, and she almost broke into tears. What was she doing wrong?

"Mom, don't cry," she heard a silent whisper say from the doorway. It was her sixteen year old daughter, Jacquelyn. There had been quite some surprise after she reached America when she found out she was pregnant. Jacquelyn gave her mother chills whenever she saw her. She had sparkling blue eyes, and flowing blonde hair that barely carried some red in the summer. She looked just like her Father had.

"Mommy's okay, darling," she said comforting her daughter. "I'm just looking at some pictures. Want to see?" Jacquelyn nodded from across the room, and sat down with her mother in the bed. Rose had never shown her children pictures from the post-depression stage. Right as she was getting ready to begin to show Jacquelyn the pictures in the album, her other children Sophie and Isaac came into the room. Sophie had just turned eleven a couple of days ago, and Isaac was just eight.

As far as Sophie and Isaac knew, Jacquelyn was just their sister and that was all they could know. Jacquelyn on the other hand had been told that her father died before she was born, but Rose had never went into detail. "Mother, we're afraid of the storm," chattered Sophie. Rose held out her arms, and smiled. "C'mon then, get on the bed. Your sister and I were just looking at pictures."

Sophie had light, delicate red hair after her mother, and Isaac had the brown hair that was from his father, Joseph Calvert. Rose pointed at the picture of her working as an actress back in Manhattan, and laughed. "I was only eighteen when I took this picture. I was quite a showgirl back in those days." Jacquelyn and Sophie both laughed together staring deep into the picture. "Mommy, you looked rather silly," murmured Isaac. Rose laughed at his comment. He loved to act like he knew it all.

Jacquelyn then flipped the page for her mother, and saw the picture that Rose intended for them to see. It was a picture from a newspaper article on April 19th 1912, the day after the Carpathia docked in New York, and she had been in the background. She remembered the, what seemed like the 30,000 people that lined the dock and filled the surrounding streets. She remembered the magnesium flashes of the photographers going off like small bombs, lighting an amazing tableau. She remembered the several hundred police keeping the mob back. The dock was packed with friends and relatives, officials, ambulances, and the press—but no Jack.

Reporters and photographers had swarmed everywhere and had lined up at the foot of gangways, lining the tops of cars and trucks and it was the 1912 equivalent ff a media circus. They had jostled to get close to the survivors, tugging on them as they pass and shouting over each other to ask them questions. Rose remembered that she had quietly used the shouting crowd to her advantage to run, to run faster than she had ever run. Regardless, her broken face had appeared in the press.

"Mother, what were you doing in that one?" asked Sophie curiously. Before the tears could slip from Rose's eyes, she closed the scrap book and put her hand on Sophie's shoulders. "Alright, that's enough pictures for tonight," she smiled and kissed her children's foreheads. Regardless of picture time being over with, the children stayed with Rose in her bed, and she felt comfort in her hopelessness. She didn't think after this that she could love again. She had promised Jack she would survive, love, have children, and she had done it all. Against all odds, she did fall back in love. Could that be done twice though? She wished she could start her whole life over.

_Oh,_ how she wished. She could go back in time, and fix all the choices she made on that ship. And she could've also maybe warned the crew that a large iceberg were ahead that would sink the whole ship from the bottom up. That would never come true for her though. No matter how sad she would be from her husband's death, she would always be Rose Dawson Calvert, happy to have her children to comfort her, but someone holding tears behind their eyes.

And then before she knew it she was fast asleep, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she could see the fierce lightning, lighting up the sky with intense streaks. She then heard the radio turn on from the kitchen inside the apartment. The radio was the only entertainment object Rose and Joseph had saved enough money to buy, and the children enjoyed its company very much, especially Jacquelyn.

"Jacquelyn, turn the radio off, it's time to sleep. You may listen to it in the morning, dear," she moaned drowsily, but was drowned out by the sound. It was then that she heard a familiar tune being played. The song playing was a classic from the year 1910, but she remembered the song for a different reason. It wasn't just the song that she loved when she was fifteen that her mother hated and called _ruckus_.

It was their song, she thought. In the midst of the plunging rain, she heard the radio hum, '_Come Josephine, in my flying machine, going up she goes, up she goes. Balance yourself like a bird on a beam, in the air she goes. There she goes. Up, up, a little bit higher, oh my, the moon is on fire,_' she gasped. Was Jack looking down at her at this very moment to tell her that he was there? She hoped so, laying back onto the pillows still thinking about her wish. Rose fell back to sleep, with the tune serving as a lullaby and another streak of lightning followed, lighting up the sky with intensity.


	2. Welcome aboard

The next morning when Rose awoke, she couldn't believe it was the same world. The sun was shining brightly outside the windows, from what she could see, and she was already in a better mood. She felt fantastic. She reached over to tell her children good morning, and they weren't there. She quickly sat up, and was stunned by the room. It wasn't the bedroom in the small apartment back in Cedar Rapids she had stayed in last night.

"Jacquelyn? Sophie? Isaac?" she shouted, and she noticed her voice sounded very different. It was then that she recognized the room. It was the room that her family and she had stayed at while in Europe for the engagement. The room that she had last seen the day they left to go back to America on the Titanic. She got up, and thought, maybe this was a mistake. She had to be dreaming at least. This wouldn't be the first time she had dreams about the Titanic, or her previous life.

She looked into the full-body mirror, and saw the youthful version of herself right in front of her. She touched her face to make sure it was real, and she felt the flesh. Could dreams feel this real?

"Rose, get up! I'm shall not call you again," screamed an all too familiar voice from the other room. Rose darted to the door, and saw her mother dabbing make-up on her face. An instance case of Déjá Vu rushed upon her, and she realized this was the exact morning she boarded the Titanic. "Mother? Is that really you? What day is it?" Rose asked suddenly. Maybe this really wasn't a dream.

Rose's mother gave her the most peculiar look, and rolled her eyes. "I should hope you are alright and not getting sick. The ship wouldn't allow us on if you were," said her mother in the sarcastic tone Rose remembered her Mother to have. "But to answer your question, today is April 10th 1912. The day Titanic will leave port, and the day we leave to go back home." Rose couldn't help but to then smile, because somewhere deep inside she knew she was getting the second chance she deserved and she didn't want to ruin it.

She had to make sure it played out the same exact way it did the last time she did this, up until a point anyways. She then remember what she had said almost seventeen years ago, because no matter how much it had hurt, she remembered everything. "Mother, I was just being childish," she spoke out of the ordinary, and started the old dialogue.

"Mother, I really don't think I'll find anyo-_anything_ spectacular out of this ship. Why can't we just back on the Mauretania?" she asked, completely acting. Thank God she had been an actress. She laughed to herself about the irony here. The most spectacular thing in the world would be on that ship. She started to fiddle with her undergarments, knowing exactly what piece of wardrobe she was going to wear.

"Rose, Titanic will have the most of the finest first class people, and it will be the grandest voyage there has ever been. We might as well call ourselves third class if we don't go," spoke her mother in an elegant accent. The dislikable feelings Rose had for mother were suddenly returning fast. "Well, what are you waiting for, Rose? Get dressed and be presentable in an hour or so," her mother murmured.

An hour or so? She could be ready in twenty minutes if she needed to be, but the she remembered the corset when she saw it on the closet shelf. "I'm not putting that on," she told herself. She then realized she would have to on the ship, and she silently agreed. She would do whatever she could to get things the way they were with Jack. She remembered the messy, yet sophisticated bun she put her hair up in, and she hoped she could remember how to do it. Luckily, it looked somewhat similar to what it did almost seventeen years ago.

Even though she loved her new life with the freedom that Jack gave her, she did feel quite comforted with the reassurance of money. For the past few years, she had to scavenge for what little money her family had, but now, she was able to spend it for a couple of days, and she would with out a doubt go back to the way she had been. A girl who Rose remembered as Trudy came gracefully through the door then, asking Rose if she needed help with anything.

"Miss, would you need me to tie your corset?" asked Mrs. Trudy politely. Rose had known Trudy had died on the Titanic and she welcomed her presence with open arms. "Oh, Trudy! I missed you! You have no earthly idea how I've- I mean, no Trudy, I'll be needing no help this afternoon," Rose stuttered. Trudy tried to keep a straight face and not to laugh but Trudy had a close relationship with Rose and giggled.

"Oh, miss, you make me laugh. You might want to hurry and get downstairs, though. Cal is sort of in a rush to leave. He wants to make a proper entrance in Southampton," Trudy suggested. Rose had forgotten the detail of being Cal's fiancée, and she groaned. "He always has been impatient," sighed Rose, "Tell them I'll be right down, Miss Trudy," smiled Rose as she gave her another hug.

Rose bent over to grab her luggage pieces, and Trudy gasped, "Ma'am, no! I'll get those; your mother would have a fit if she saw you carrying your luggage by yourself." Rose knew her mother would get angry if she didn't take advantage of their maid when Cal had spent money on paying her so gratefully. "Well, you can carry this one. I'll get the rest," Rose said trying to compromise. Trudy nodded unconditionally, and followed Rose down the stairs.

Breakfast was waiting for her on the dining room table when she got there and it looked absolutely wonderful. The part that didn't look wonderful was the people who were at the table waiting for her openly chatting. She took a deep breath, and gracefully walked over to the table to take her seat. It had been so long since she had had to use proper manners, so was quickly refreshing her memory. "Good Morning, Sweet Pea," Cal spoke properly, barely looking up, and Rose's mind filled with hate. "Good Morning," she said plainly, without emotion.

Awful memories were flowing in from the way that Cal had acted while the ship was sinking, and she decided she would only show affection until the point when she didn't have to.

"Rose, darling, I was thinking we could get Brooke's Bakery to cater the wedding," suggested Cal while briefly skimming the newspaper. Rose remembered her father taking her to the bakery when she was a child to buy hot sweet rolls. It was always such a treat. Her father would always take Rose when he knew she was upset. If he would've been alive after the ship sank she would've been fat. Rose snuck in a laugh, and calmed her expression.

"Darling, I would get great relief from this if Mr. Brooke were more a gentleman other than a large, obnoxious man just take up occupancy," Rose tried to keep her voice steady, but she couldn't believe she had said that at one point in her life. Maybe she could get away and say at least one nice thing. "His food is absolutely delicious, though. Bless his soul," Rose spoke truly from the heart finally.

Cal looked up from the newspaper, and stared at Rose with one eyebrow perched. Rose looked back in return and looked away eating the scrumptious food with delight. "Rose, good Heavens, why are you eating that fast. It's not proper," fussed Ruth. Rose immediately started to eat slower in response. She was trying her hardest to keep things the way they were, and that meant using her attitude towards them both. She remembered how trapped she felt that day, and how much she didn't want to go on another social cruise ship.

"I'm sorry mother; I'm just terribly hungry, and ready to get out of this house. Can we leave already?" asked Rose anxiously. Those words had two advantages to her now. Maybe she could have time to look for the place Jack and Fabrizio had played poker to win their tickets to board the ship, and the meaning to get out of that house. It was that moment that she decided she wouldn't interfere with the poker game. It would be her luck that he wouldn't win the tickets, and their love wouldn't be the same if her presence were there.

Then again, they were soul mates, so would it really matter one way or the other? She smiled at this thought. "Good idea, sweet pea, if we leave now we'll make more of a significant entrance," Cal said with his small smile that Rose hated. Rose tried her best to smile back and got up from the table. Cal was over to her chair in a second, and grabbed her arm. "I'll escort you to the automobile, dear," Cal said like a gentleman. Rose cringed when Cal's arm wove through hers but nonetheless, she walked forward.

Lovejoy, the man who babysat Cal, waited outside the house for them. He opened the car door for her, and memories hit her like a million stones. _Where to, miss? To the stars. Nervous? No. Put your hands on me Jack. _Rose directed her attention to the window so that she wouldn't show emotion for Cal or her mother to ask about. She remembered how long the ride to Southampton was, and she cringed the whole time. Life felt like it would pass her by so suddenly and she was so anxious to get on the ship. She would prevent it from sinking this time.

"Are we almost there?" she asked like an impatient child waiting anxiously to get to a destination. "Almost there, Sweet Pea," reassured Cal. When she saw the ship in the background tears flowed from her eyes, and she couldn't stop them. There it was in front of her, and Jack was near. People were currently alive. All of the people she loved deep in her heart were there. "Why on earth are you crying Rose?" asked Ruth to her daughter. Rose made a coughing sound and looked to the blooming trees that were being brought to life by spring. "It's just allergies, Mother. I'm fine," she stuttered as an excuse.

The closer they got to the docks, more of the memories flowed in. These memories were never forgotten in the first place, but they were being emphasized like she had just relived all of them. The sound of the horn alerted her when they were there, and the automobile stopped. The driver got out of the seat, and opened the door for Rose. He grabbed her hand and she stepped out the same way she had many years ago.

Those very few short days on the Titanic let get a view of a lot of people and she almost recognized everyone standing at the port. Over at a distance, she saw little Cora in her Father's arms holding a porcelain doll. Horse Drawn carriages and other automobiles were arriving just as they had in the great excitement. People were waving, and hugging to their lovers, friends, and family as they started to board the grand ship.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," Rose said mocking a lesser version of herself, "It's no bigger than Mauretania." This was a lie of course. This ship deserved a fuss. It was the biggest ship in the world. She felt like screaming to everyone on the pier to go home, that this was dangerous. No one in their right mind would believe her though.

Would they think she was a mad woman, out of her mind? It would seem unimaginable for a first class woman of sense to be shouting. It certainly wouldn't be more unimaginable than the sinking of the Titanic itself.

"You can be blasé about some things, Rose, but not about the Titanic. It's over a hundred feet longer than the Mauretania, and far more luxurious," stated Cal trying to impress Rose. Ruth approached from behind the two and stared at the grand ship in front of them. "Your daughter is far too difficult to impress Ruth," smiled Cal. Ruth laughed and kept staring.

"So, this is the ship they say is unsinkable?" asked Ruth rhetorically. Rose quickly turned to her mother at the words. She was screaming inside her head, but couldn't speak. "It is unsinkable. God himself could not sink this ship," commented Cal.

"I would hold your tongue on such words, Mr. Hockley," Rose finally remarked. Surely that sentence wouldn't change her fate. Cal stared at her in utter amazement. Rose had never talked back to him before. A servant then approached Cal and Lovejoy informing where to take luggage. Rose didn't listen to most of the conversation this time. She was busy scanning the crowd and reading the familiar faces. Before she knew Cal was almost pushing her through the crowd with his hand trying to intertwine hers.

They finally reached the gangway ramp, and she looked up. This was it, her one and only chance to recreate her life. The metal clacked and made noises as her heels walked across it. "Welcome to Titanic," a man said from the door welcoming in passengers. She turned around and saw the land for the last time. What if she died this time? She took a deep breath and stepped aboard the Titanic for the second time. It was a wise choice for a second chance.


	3. The sun will come out Tomorrow

The hallways never ceased to amaze her anymore than had so many years ago. Her mother must've thought she was out of her ever loving mind on this trip though. It gave Rose great satisfaction that Jack was currently on this ship, but it did make her nervous. She realized that Jack had no idea who she was yet, but he would know sometime very soon.

The crates of luggage were already delivered to the room B-52-56 room when they all got there, and Rose walked in. Another round of memories hit her when she saw the couch,_ the couch_. Flashbacks of lying in front of Jack without a care in the world made her blush just as he had. She wondered if they second chance included that? She hoped so. Cal was fiddling with the boxes and luggage and suddenly said, "These finger paintings were certainly a waste of money." Rose turned and saw the paintings and gasped. They were so beautiful. After the sinking she tried becoming an artist, but that career never took off.

"The difference in Cal's taste in art and mine is that I have some… _Truly_," she threw in the last word for satisfaction. "They're fascinating. Like being inside of a dream, or something, there's truth but no logic." How true was that? Where was the logic to any of this? But there was truth, and lots of it. Jack was the truth in this dream with no logic. "Picasso was a genius. Oh, there's that Monet painting!" Rose gasped and bent over to look in the crates, "Look at his use of color here, isn't it great?"

Cal looked at her like she had lost her mind, and even Rose felt like she had. "Something Picasso? He'll never amount to anything, trust me, he won't. At least they were cheap," Cal said in his signature tone. With those words almost like a cue, Rose grabbed Trudy and walked into the bedroom behind the sitting room. Sadly, she knew where this was going. In the room, Trudy started to hang up Rose's clothes and smiled to herself.

"It smells so brand new, like they built it just for us! Just think, tonight when I crawl through the sheets I'll be the first," Trudy mused. Technically she wasn't the first, but that was Rose's little secret. She smiled back at Trudy's excitement, and laughed. Cal then appeared in the doorway, and smirked while looking at Rose.

"And when I'll crawl through the sheets tonight, I'll be the first," Cal suggested with innuendo. Rose coughed out of how rude the comment was, and knew the first person would be Jack anyways. Trudy blushed, and ran out of the room to leave Rose and Cal alone. Cal then locked the door, and Rose knew what he wanted. He came up behind her and put his hands on her hips and Rose cringed. She had remembered being obligated to kiss Cal's cheek last time, but to save herself from being sick and giving Cal satisfaction; she barely touched the back of his head.

"Cal, if you'll excuse me. I'd much rather prefer to get dressed for the evening on my own," Rose declared. She kept her gaze at the clothing articles hung upon the bed post, while Cal rubbed his head against her shoulders and neck. "Alright then, another night," he whispered and kissed Rose's cheek. How on earth did she ever stand this man? As he walked out the door, he turned to look at Rose, grinning until he couldn't see her anymore.

She was very glad that he wasn't in her presence any longer, and walked into the sitting room. She looked at the clock sitting on the mantel of the fireplace and the time said Two O'clock. The day was still full of surprises to be found, and she was getting anxious. Time was going by rather slow on the trip so far, and she had nothing to do. Dinner wasn't until seven, so she had a good while to maybe run around the ship to look, and maybe see Jack. Her heart was already consumed with Butterflies, and she loved the feeling.

She walked out of the suite, and into the hallways. There was a bustle of celebration, and the air was just exciting. She could finally come to realize how excited people were to be there, and how much of an extraordinary life they felt they had since there were on _the_ Titanic. The first class exit was right in front of her and she happily walked out the door. The air out on the ocean, and she loved it. She wanted to scream out of joy, because she truly felt like a third class passenger. For them, it was a chance of going to a new place, and starting a new life. It was also sort of a vacation from very busy work. Rose finally knew what it meant to work hard.

She walked towards the third class with butterflies consuming her, and she took a steady breath. Rose could hardly wait until tomorrow evening, even if she didn't see Jack tonight. She would get her first glimpse of him at sunset the next day. And the next night he would save her from jumping off the ship and it would be very interesting to see how that played out. She then thought of her children, and wondered what they were doing at this moment. Did she actually go back in time, or was this an alternate universe?

Rose stood behind a steel wall, cherishing the moment of reliving Titanic, and hoping for the best. It really felt like this was her home, and that she belonged here. She knew this would be the place she would see in her dreams for the rest of her life, and that this would be the place she would return to in death. It was a wonderful feeling to feel love coming out of her heart at a million levels, and she leaned up against the wall.

"Jack, no fair! You take me with you when you draw beautiful women next time!" said a very familiar voice on the other side of the wall. Rose's eyes dilated and she listened for another voice to appear. She knew the voice that was coming would make her melt, and drown in happiness. "Of course not. My job is meant for a man of one," laughed Jack. Rose was right, and she did melt. His voice was as sweet and serenading as it was last time, maybe even better. She hurried and got on her knees to peek around the wall.

"Rose, what are you doing here?" asked a voice that made Rose's heart stop. She put her fingers around the wall, and braced herself for the best.

"Rose, my goodness, what are you doing out here crouched on the ground? We need to dress for the evening. Mr. Hockley is going to escort us around the ship," Rose's mother said looking down at her. She got up from the ground, completely ignoring her mother, and looked down the side that Jack and Fabrizio had walked across. They were completely out of sight now, but it gave Rose small satisfaction that she was standing where they had.

"Rose, what is wrong with you?" asked her mother, while snapping her fingers in front of Rose's face. Rose was completely out of it, of course. She was so deeply in love she couldn't grasp anything else. Rose shrugged her shoulders, and grabbed her mother to go inside eagerly awaiting when she would talk to Jack finally tomorrow.

"This sunset is sure beautiful, Fabrizio. I plan on drawing it soon, but I'm going to wait for the exact moment. Tomorrow's sunset will be beautiful," Jack said looking ahead while holding his sketch book. Fabrizio looked at him and started to chuckle. "How you know that?" Fabrizio asked, still smiling.

Jack took a deep breath and looked down at his drawings. "I know this may sound crazy, but I have been getting these weird head rushes. I feel like I have been here before, but I haven't. I feel like I should be looking for something, but I'm not sure what. I feel incomplete for some reason," Jack said emotionally still looking down, and then he smiled. "It's official. I am crazy."

Fabrizio hit Jack's shoulder, and nudged him. "No, you not crazy. Niente that crazy," he laughed. Jack tried to smile in return, but he was very worried. He felt like he had a magnet pulling him in a certain direction and he was in the wrong place. He looked up to the sky above like saying a silent prayer. "Niente," he said quoting Fabrizio.

By the time Rose and her mother were dressed for dinner, they were in Cherbourg, France. Ruth was chattering with her gossip, and Rose wasn't paying a bit of attention. Walking around with her hand in Cal's wasn't a delight much either, and she tried to ignore that fact. Cal showed her around like she was an item at retail store and he was trying to show off his products to everyone. She shook very many hands that night, and was polite even she had met all of these people once in her life.

Dinner was hideous like it had been many years ago, but she distracted herself by staring at the chair Jack had sat in the night he had joined them for dinner. Rose knew she wasn't following all of the manners she had learned in the past, since she hadn't had to worry about them in years. She just kept quiet the whole evening, barely listening to anyone and occasionally smiling when it was appropriate.

_Well, here is my first author's note for this story. I would like to say that I wrote this chapter over a span of a couple of days. I just finished it in the car, while heading to Nashville, Tennessee. I'm praying I don't catch Swine Flu, because it's there. I plan on uploading this to the internet as soon as I get to the hotel, and if you're reading this, I did. I tricked you, huh? I made you think that that was Jack talking to Rose, huh? I'm good. Jack does know that he is having Déjá vu, but he doesn't realize why. This story is will have many twists, and I'm actually surprising myself with what I come up with. Please read, and criticize me. Lot's of love, Meredith. :] _


	4. Glances

The next morning was nothing of a surprise as Rose woke up to a glorious sunlight shining out the window. She stretched her arms up as far as her shoulders would allow and grinned. Hearing Jack's voice yesterday had been just enough to produce the best dreams and the most peaceful sleep she had had in a very long time. She walked over to the mirror, and gazed at herself. The black skin under her eyes weren't there like they had been a few days ago in the apartment and she smiled. What was she going to do this afternoon outside? She would walk outside after she excused herself from the restaurant, and go to the railing.

The sky would be an orange color, and everything would glow. Jack would be sitting on a bench below, and then he'd see her and gasp. He would think she was very beautiful and instantly fall for her. Rose decided that obviously she couldn't run to him after she saw his face like she knew she'd want to. Out of everything she knew, she knew she wouldn't look away like last time. She couldn't stop herself from smiling now.

A knock on the door broke her from her trance, and she quickly turned around. "Rose, Sweet Pea, you've slept in. You've completely missed breakfast out on the promenade deck," Cal informed Rose while leaning against the doorway. "You didn't have to wait on me," she said staring at the carpet. Cal looked at Rose and laughed, "I didn't." Was it oddly peculiar that a man could call himself a gentleman and be so rude? "What time is it, Cal?" she asked, truly asking him a question for the first time she had been back to 1912.

"It's twelve O'clock, I believe. I wouldn't know," answered him, while smiling deviously. He walked over to her, and put his hands on her waist line. "You're still under-dressed, which right now, is working to my advantage that you slept in." She grabbed his hands and took them off her. "Cal, respect me enough to not try seducing me every time I turn around. You do call yourself a gentleman, don't you?" Rose asked, looking directly into his eyes. Cal sighed, and turned away.

"Alright, I guess I can wait until you agree to. Your mother is out taking the air on the deck with Lady Duff Gordon. I've also arranged that we have a late lunch with Bruce Ismay, and Thomas Andrews," reported Cal. Rose had completely forgotten about Mr. Andrews being here, and she smiled. If it had not of been for him, then she would've surely died the night the ship sank. His poor soul sank along with the Titanic, and she had missed him terribly. He had also pointed her in the direction that Jack was in after Lovejoy had him arrested. That was another thing she was going to have to prevent.

"Oh, Mr. Andrews, he seems like quite a gentleman. I can not wait to be a part of his presence," Rose said, being truthful. Cal gave her a look, and looked towards the door. "I need to let you dress, so I am going to go have a brandy," he said as he started to move. "Don't get intoxicated, Mr. Hockley," laughed Rose. Out of the time she had been with Cal, she had never seen him too drunk and she had to say that the sight would be hilarious.

She purely hated the first class way of life, and she couldn't wait until Jack could take her away from all of it. She had lived the lifestyle for one day, and she was already bored with it. She couldn't wait to feel Jack's rough, artist's fingers around her shoulders, holding her in place. Knowing that he was watching her from heaven was the only thing that kept her going after he had passed, and knowing that he was at the same place she was at right now made her a wreck. She felt as if she could go dance out on the deck in her night clothes, and not care a single bit about what they thought.

"Only a few more hours, Jack. I love you so much," she said talking to him. She knew that no matter what the circumstances were that there was still a Jack in heaven watching every move she made. That's what kept her moving all of the time, trying to please him and be happy with herself.

Jack and Fabrizio ran to the bow of the ship in the creamy light of the almost noon sky, and were smiling all of the way. The two gripped the rail, and looked over. The fifty foot height didn't scare them. They were just happy to feel like royalty, and feel like they were free. In the glassy water appeared dolphins, riding the bow for fun, and the exultation of the motion. Jack looks at them and grins, clearly loving life. "Jack, I can see the statue of liberty already! Very small of course," smiled Fabrizio. Jack looked back to him and grinned as widely as he had ever.

Rose sat in the chair in front of the fire place, counting down the minutes until Cal would come to escort to her the Palm Court Restaurant. She only had ten minutes to go, and she could easily find a way to entertain herself after that. "Rose, I've come to get you early," shouted Cal from the door. She had never been so happy to see Cal in her life, and quickly ran over to him. "Okay, escort me. I'll admit, I'm anxious," shrieked Rose. Cal took her arm in his, and took her outside the room and in to the hallway. She gasped when she felt the sun on her arms.

The yellow tinted dress she was wearing welcomed the sun delightfully, and it almost felt like it did the last time she was experiencing this night. The Palm Court had quite a crowd waiting for a table, but Cal took Rose back without questioning the host. Rose had Mr. Andrews in her the second she walked and she squealed. "Oh, Mr. Andrews, this is such a treat! It's good to see you! How are you?" she asked. She held his hand in hers and smiled. He welcomed her greeting, and she knew he thought something was wrong with her.

"It's very nice to meet you, Rose," Mr. Andrews said with his handsome grin. Just then all the rest of the dinner party walked in and greeted each other and Mr. Ismay was ranting about something. She dreaded shaking his hand, because she knew he didn't respect the ship for its true beauty. "It's my pleasure to meet you, Miss. Dewitt Bukater," he mused shaking her hand vigorously. She tried to show as much affection of the meeting as she could. "It's truly all mine, Mr. Ismay," she smiled.

Rose then saw her mother and Molly arrive, and stared. This meant that she would see him in less than thirty minutes, for the first time in over seventeen years. "Rose, its mighty fine to see you," said molly grinning widely. Rose really liked Molly a lot. She was genuine person that meant what she said and wasn't afraid to tell it like it was. "Now, boys and girls, lets eat!" she announced. The crowd sat down at the table and started to talk casually. "We can't get by without proper introductions," stated Mr. Andrews from across the table. Mr. Ismay laughed at his statement and, of course, began with himself.

"I am Bruce Ismay and our master ship builder, Mr. Andrews here, designed her from the keel plates up," he said full of himself. Mr. Andrews threw his arm to disregard the attention. He smiled politely regardless of how he felt, and spoke, "Well, I may have put her together, but the idea was Mr. Ismay's. He envisioned a steamer, so grand in scale, and luxurious in its appointments, that its supremacy would never be challenged. And here she is…" grinning Mr. Andrews while he slapped the table, "Willed in to solid reality!"

Although Rose truly adored Mr. Andrews, she got bored of the conversation, particularly since none of what they were saying was true. She reached into her hand bag, and pulled out her cigarettes. She quietly laughed to herself, and wondered if she should get back into the habit. After she arrived with the third class in New York City, she had never been able to afford them. She finally decided to smoke just one, just to irritate her mother. "You know I don't like that, Rose," murmured her mother while she leaned towards her.

Rose simply breathed out the smoke from the cigarette, and blew it in her mother's face. Her mother leaned backwards to remove herself from the smell, and Cal reached over to Rose's mouth to take the cigarette. "Ruth, she knows," he spoke. He put out the cigarette and put it on the table. Jack would always give her the option. He spread her wings fo her. "You will not do that to me-," she started but was interrupted by Cal speaking to waiter. "We'll both have the lamb. Rare, with very little mince sauce," he ordered the waiter, and turned back to Rose. "You like lamb, don't you Sweet Pea?" he asked knowing from instinct that she wouldn't care.

She loved lamb, but the fact he wouldn't let her order on her own really made her angry and she wished that Jack could be there to say something, but only she could save herself. She looked at him getting ready to say something, and then saw Molly's face. She was watching the odyssey that had been Ruth, Rose, and Cal. "So, you gonna cut her meat for her too there, Cal?" laughed Molly, but still being some what serious. There was an awkward silence as Cal gave Molly a rude look, and she turned to Mr. Ismay. "So, who came up with the name Titanic? Was it you, Bruce?" smiled Molly, looking almost flirtatious.

"Yes, actually. I wanted to convey sheer size. And size means stability, luxurious, and above all, strength," bragged Mr. Ismay. Rose scuffed, and laughed out loud. "Strength… Do you know of Doctor Floyd? His ideas of the male preoccupation with size might be of some particular interest to you, Mr. Ismay," she said plainly with dislike. Mr. Andrews quietly got choked on his food while trying to hold back laughter.

"What's gotten into you?" said Ruth addressing what Rose just said. What's gotten into her? Everything. Her true love had died in her arms in the Atlantic when the Titanic had slipped beneath them. Her husband had just died, and she was without her children. She was with the irritable and rude first class, and most of all, getting ready to see the man who had kept a place in her heart for seventeen years. Her mother couldn't even understand. She was never able to have a good mother and daughter relationship with Ruth.

"If you'll excuse me," Rose said running out of the restaurant. In the distance, she heard her mother apologize for her. She was finally reminded of the particular reason she ran from the table that day. This was it, she thought, as she edged closer to the railing that would give her the view she always wanted to have. Jack was just finishing up his drawing, as a young Irish immigrant approached. Dogs were running by, apparently going to do business. The young immigrant looked over to them and laughed, "That's typical. First class dogs coming down here to take a shit."

Jack looked up from his sketch, and laughed as well. "It lets us know where we rank in the scheme of things," he smiled. The young man bent down to shake Jack's hand. "Like we could forget? The name's Tommy Ryan," he informed them sharing his name. Jack shook back and smiled, "Jack Dawson," Jack said while introducing himself and hit Fabrizio. Tommy shook Fabrizio's hand, and said, "Fabrizio." When Tommy let go of his hand, he looked back to Jack. "So do you make any money with your drawings?" But Jack wasn't paying attention. He was looking up towards the balcony.

Rose looked down at her feet from the rail, and laughed because this was it. She looked out to the bench and there he was. His skin still had the same tan tint like it, and she couldn't stop staring. His blue eyes were piercing as they gazed at her, and a silent tear fell down her cheek. It was all she could do to restrain herself from running headlong down to his arms. Jack was entranced by her beauty, and kept gazing. The sun tinted her red hair just the exact way it needed to and she was perfect. Finally, Rose smiled. She just couldn't help it.

He couldn't control his face to make him smile, so he just stared, barely noticing the hand waving in front of his face. A man then approached the red haired beauty from the behind and grabbed her arm. He couldn't understand what the man was saying to her, but the woman looked especially unhappy with him. She jerked her arm back and stormed off. She wanted to run down to Jack, and hold him in her arms, but she couldn't. Tonight would be soon though, and that would be amazing. She would talk to him, finally.

Jack finally looked over to Fabrizio and Tommy and shook his head. "Where have I seen her?" Fabrizio looked at him weirdly. "Take that back. You are crazy." Jack looked down, trying to think as hard as he could. Magnets were pulling at him telling him to go to her, but he didn't. "I think this she is a sign. Maybe if I go to her, it will stop everything, and I'll be able to realize what this feeling is," he said guessing. "Forget it Boyo, You'd as like to have angels flying out o' your arse as you gettin' next to the likes o' her," Tommy discouraged. "I don't think so. She smiled at me. I may be getting some where on this little vacation," spoke Jack, deviously.

It gave Rose comfort that he had still looked at her the same way he did all that time ago. Everything would fall into place now, she hoped. She would make it fall into place. She had to get dressed for dinner tonight, and she would look her best, and not just for the dinner party people, but for him. She would see Jack afterwards, and that meant everything. Her heart had expanded so much more from just those glances. She walked in the room to get dressed, and closed the door behind her.


	5. Can't fight the mooonlight

"Rose, I never expect you to act like that of what you did today again, do you understand?" Ruth said while lecturing Rose on how she had acted at the restaurant earlier, "I just don't understand you anymore. You used to be such a fine young woman." Rose kept her gaze focused on her reflection in the mirror, trying to tune out her mother. It wasn't working. "Rose, I expect an answer," her mother said leaning closer to her. She of course couldn't tell her what was wrong, so she would have to think of something to play. "Mother, I'm just nervous about the wedding next month. I don't know how I'm going to make it through. I guess I have cold feet," Rose said shrugging her shoulders.

In the reflection of the mirror, she saw her mother smile. Ruth rubbed her daughter's shoulders in comfort, and laughed quietly. "When I married your father, I was very nervous. I was nervous about the right people not coming, and the food not being delivered at the exact moment. But, we're women and we get through it all," Ruth said. Rose frowned in the mirror, and took her mother's hand off her shoulders. "What about if you think you're making the wrong choice? What if you don't feel the right feelings about one person but you're when with someone else you do?" she asked, testing her mother. "Mr. Hockley will be a fine husband, and he will provide security in the affection," Ruth said smiling.

"We'll see, I guess," Rose murmured, completely lying. She looked down at her beaded red dress and started to fiddle with the beads. "Rose, promise me that you'll behave from now on though. I don't want to be embarrassed again," Ruth pleaded, and Rose simply nodded. After her mother approved her of looking decent, they left the state room and waited for Cal in the hallway. Standing alone with her mother was very awkward, but Rose always knew how to distract herself. When Cal rounded the corner approaching them, he smiled. "Hello, Ladies! I'm such a lucky gentleman to be escorting such fine looking women," he grinned, trying to attract Rose.

"Good evening," she said calmly in response. Cal turned away bitterly, and grabbed Ruth's arm. Rose had always thought it was odd for her fiancée to escort her mother rather than herself, but she didn't want to touch Cal more than she had to. If a man was a real gentleman he would try to hold his love and make her happy, unlike Cal. She would touch Jack tonight though, and that gave her chills. She wanted to feel his rough hands touching her soft, small ones. Their hands were opposite, but the feeling was the like the sun and the moon. They worked together great, and they both needed to rise to survive at one point in the day. The grand staircase looked absolutely beautiful with the twilight-lit sky shining through the dome, and it made Rose grin.

In fact, it was so beautiful that she stopped to glare and Cal noticed from his peripheral vision. "Sweet Pea, do hurry," he said staring at her suspiciously. She came off the final stair, and followed him although she needed no direction on where to go. She still remembered every angle of the ship from last time she was here. When she caught up to her Cal and her mother, Ruth turned around. "Remember what I said, Rose," she whispered and turned away to greet a lady. Rose rolled her eyes, and walked through the doorway. They returned to their original table, and everyone sat down. Most of the people she was introduced to names were too difficult to remember, and she didn't try to. Rose tried to ignore the ruckus that was the first class, and like always, it was difficult.

"… an-and then he held out his hat and begged for spare change," stuttered Cal while laughing uncontrollably. The whole table burst out into laughter, and applauded him on his joke. Rose thought the whole dinner process was a waste, and ignored it all. Just then the waiter approached asking Rose what she would like to have. She turned her head to him, smiled, and said, "I would like to have Spaghetti and Meatballs." When she turned back to the table, her mother was staring at her in awe. "Rose, that's a gutter rat dish," Rose shrugged her shoulders and looked away at something else. When the waiter was talking with Cal, he looked over at Rose. "She would like to have that pasta nonsense she ordered off of the list. Give us both the crab salad," ordered Cal.

Pressure was building on Rose, and it was getting the point where she could just run and never come back. Her fingers balled up into fists, and held her steady glare on the table like last time. "Rose, you're acting like a senseless child. Just look at the way you are holding your napkin. What is wrong with you?" said her mother, not knowing just how angry Rose was. There wasn't much else she could ignore and to top it off Cal grabbed her hand with the engagement ring and made another joke to other first class men. "I think we're quite a pair as well. She'll make a bed mate, won't you sweet pea?" Every nerve Rose had in her body popped out of place and her face turned very red.

A few moments later the food arrived and the waiter handed the dishes to whom they belonged to. Underneath the table Rose stabbed herself with the crab-fork, and she could see the blood oozing out of her arm from where she sat above. Her eyes filled will tears, and she realized how stupid this was. She wasn't going to deal with this again once she was with Jack. It wasn't until this moment that she realized along with being back to 1912, were the emotions she had in 1912. Once the men declared themselves to the smoking room when dinner was almost over, Rose ran. She would later tell her mother she was sick, and needed to urgently get to the room.

Rose didn't even bother returning to the suite this time. She knew Trudy wasn't there to help her remove her dress, and all she would do there was outburst in her anger. She reached for her hair to remove it from the bun it was in, and cried while running. She was so angry. She already knew how horrible the first class was, but after being free for many years, she realized it was basically abuse. She accidentally hit a woman in her rage, and the woman stared in disgust. Rose simply didn't care.

Jack was lying back in a bench on the B-deck Promenade, staring up at the sky while smoking a cigarette. The feelings that were so foreign to him never ceased to make him wonder what was wrong. One of these days, he was going to try to paint his feelings down and hopefully people would understand them. All of the sudden, he heard loud shoes running down the steps. These were the heels of a first class woman, by the sound of it, but the woman was crying which was an unlikely trait. Jack sat up to see the red-haired beauty that he had seen earlier. Her hair wasn't the perfect way it had been at sunset, and tears streamed down her face. He could tell that she was genuinely upset. Could it have been that man that approached her? Was it him that made her upset?

The girl ran past him with all her energy, not seeing him because of the dark sky. Her breathing became more difficult the faster she ran, and the tears weren't helping. A metal object stopped her in her tracks when her stomach hit it. She used to the opportunity to catch her breath, and she looked up. She saw the stern of the ship right in front of her and hesitated. She walked towards the end, and looked behind her. She really didn't want to risk this again, but Jack was going to save her. He wasn't anywhere in sight, so she put her hands on the rail.

She lifted up the bottom of her dress, and put her feet on the first step of the rail, followed by the second. She turned around again to make sure Jack wasn't in sight, and seeing that he wasn't, she climbed over the side. She looked down to see the same black water that had killed fifteen-hundred people that night, and the tears continued to fall. She could hear the vortex of ocean below her, and it frightened her. She extended her arms to remember the height. The last time she was on the end of the ship was when it sank, and she remembered being scared and stunned. The emotions were quite similar as she stood there again as well.

"Don't do it," said a worried voice behind her, and Rose knew exactly who it was. She had to compose herself from screaming his name and hopping over the rail. "I'm being rather stupid, I know," she spoke, her voice shaking. "Well, then, give me your hand. I'll pull you back over," he said in an interested and pleading tone. She then realized she had to make it a little bit difficult for him, because he needed to understand her. "No, please. I'll let go," she said, hoping that he wouldn't leave her even though she knew he wouldn't ever. She kept staring at his beautiful face, and small smile escaped her lips giving away herself.

"No you won't," he said looking back at her. Those words thrilled her. He understood her like he did back then. "What do you mean? Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do," she said speaking to the first class mainly, but still looking at Jack's face. "Well, you would have done it already. Now, just give me your hand," he added. How right was he? All of Rose's inspirations came from Jack and her personality too. She looked back down at the black water, and looked back up at him. "I have to admit that you are distracting me," she said trying to cover her affection for him as his blue eyes pierced hers.

"Well, I'm involved now. If you let go, I'm going to have to jump in there after you," he said taunting her. Another smile escaped as she quietly quoted, "You jump, I jump?" He looked at her face and he grinned. "Exactly. Glad you understand that. The water's cold," he said as he edged closer to the rail to look down at the water. She was less than two feet away from him now, and she couldn't ignore his scent that she loved. "How cold?" she said already knowing the answer. "Freezing. Maybe a couple of degrees over…" he said, trying as hard as he could to convince her to come back over, "Ever been to Wisconsin?"

Before the Titanic the first time, she had never been. In fact she hadn't seen all of Philadelphia then either. But she had been to Wisconsin after the ship sank. It was on her list of heading out for the horizon, and she had been to Chippewa falls. "No," she said crossing her fingers. She never wanted to lie to Jack but this was necessary. "Well, they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there around Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid me and my father went ice fishing. Ice fishing is where you-" Jack said, soon to be interrupted by Rose. "I know what ice fishing is," she said calmly this time. She had gone ice fishing when she was in Wisconsin as well. It made her feel close to Jack.

"Sorry, you just seem like sort of an indoor girl," he said, thinking of the opportunities if he were to ever be with this girl, "Well, anyways, I fell through some thin ice, and I'm telling you… water that cold, like right down there, it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe, you can't think, at least not about anything but the pain," he explained. This made tears come from Rose's eyes again thinking about it. How had Jack had the energy to tell Rose to survive, and explain to her how she was the best thing that had ever happened to him? Her heart now ached at the thought of him being in that much pain. A thousand knives?

"Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you. But like I said, I don't have a choice. I guess I'm hoping you'll come back over the rail here, and get me off the hook here," Jack pleaded, "Come on. You don't want to do this. Give me your hand."

She lifted her hand from the tight grip she had on the rail and saw Jack's hand waiting for hers. Finally, her hand was in his and it felt like home. She turned her body around to face his, and was over whelmed by his eyes. They were her universe and her reason for life. "I'm Jack Dawson," he said, with his hand still holding onto hers, and smiling. It wasn't like she didn't already know that. She revolved around that. Her whole being melted in his eyes. "I'm Rose Daw- Dewitt Bukater," she said almost giving away herself. He laughed, and said, "I'm going to have to get you to write that one down."

She laughed at that, because truly her last name system was a mess. As she started the climb the rail, her dress got in the way again. She had no intentions of making herself fall again, but she guessed it was meant to happen. The second time was even scarier, because she truly did know how cold the water was. Jack immediately was reaching downwards for her, intent on not letting her fall and she screamed. He locked his eyes with hers and sternly said, "I've got you. I won't let go." Jack held her hand tightly with all his strength, pulling her up fast. She reached her knee up to the leveled part of the ship, and again fell back. "Help me!" she screamed again. Jack looked into her eyes again, and ordered, "Listen to me. I got you, now pull yourself up!"

Once Rose had pulled herself high enough, Jack grabbed hold of her waist and finally pulled her over the rail. Even though she was so scared, his hold was so reassuring. They then fell over onto the deck, a tangled mess, and Jack ended up on top of her. Rose put her arms around his shoulders in comfort, acting as though she was still frightened. They paused there for a second and then the two heard, "Here, what's all this?" said Rowe catching the fact that a third class passenger was lying on top of a beautiful first class lady, and that the hem of her dress was slightly pulled up.

Two men approached from the behind, and quickly saw what Rowe was seeing. The officer adjusted his stare onto Jack and ordered, "Stand back! And don't move an inch!" Jack sighed, put his hands in his pocket and rose to legs. Rowe turned to the seaman behind and ordered, "Fetch the master at arms!" Rose looked around trying to explain, but her voice was shaking too much. The officer helped her off of the ground, and she quickly looked at Jack with apologetic eyes. Her eyes were blurred from the tears and she could barely see Cal running towards her with the master at arms by his side. Colonel Gracie and Lovejoy were slowly following behind the two, and Gracie was carrying a blanket.

He handed the blanket to Rose, and helped sit her on the bench. The master at arms went over to Jack and locked his hands up behind him in handcuffs. Gracie offered Rose a drink of his brandy through her tears, but she quickly denied. "This is completely unacceptable! What made you think that you could put your hands on _my_ fiancée?" Cal stormed in rage, and Jack looked away. "Cal!" Rose said trying to stop him. "Look at me you filth!" screamed Cal looking at Jack. Rose couldn't bear to see the man she loved be burdened by this.

"Cal, stop! It was an accident!" she said panicking and still using the same excuse she had so long ago. "An accident?" Cal asked, thinking that Rose had no idea what Jack had supposedly been doing to her. "Yes, it was stupid really. I was leaning over and I slipped," she lied, looking over at Jack. "I was leaning far over to see the, uh, uh, propellers, and I slipped. I would have gone overboard but Mr. Dawson, here, saved me and almost went over himself." Jack tilted his head and looked at Rose suspiciously. "You wanted to see the propellers?" Cal laughed nervously, and looked at everyone around, "She wanted to see the propellers!" he announced.

Gracie approached from the side, and finally spoke, "Like I said, women and machinery do not mix," he said, playing devil's advocate. That made the Master at arms curious and he looked up to Jack. "Was that the way of it?" he asked fiercely. Jack looked back at Rose, and she begged him with her eyes. Her eyes weren't something he could particularly resist. He was entranced by her being, and that magnet feeling returned to him. He felt had had been at this very exact place before. He then realized he was being spoken to, "Uh, yeah… That was pretty much it" he said and looked back at Rose. "Well! The boy's a hero then. Good for you son, well done!" complimented Gracie from behind Jack.

Jack looked a Rose and smiled at her, and she returned the gesture. They now had a secret together, and that gave them both satisfactions. Gracie looked back at Cal, and said, "Well, all's well, and back to our brandy, eh?" Cal gave him the cold shoulder and turned to Rose, rubbing her shoulders. She made an uncomfortable face, and looked back at Jack with forceful eyes. The master at arms took Jack's hand cuffs, and Jack was still smiling. "Let's get you inside. You must be freezing," said Cal pushing Rose, without a single though about Jack. Gracie looked over to Cal, and even though he was being rude. "Uh, a little reward for the boy?" he asked quietly and Cal turned to look at Lovejoy. "I think a twenty should do it," he ordered and Rose looked at him in hatred. "Oh, money solves everything Cal and that must be my going rate?" she said to him, and Jack observed.

Cal laughed to himself, and looked at her. "Rose is displeased…What to do?" Jack put his jacket back on, and kept staring at Rose and the man. Cal turned to Jack and an idea came to him. "Oh, I know. Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow…to regale our group with your heroic tale?" Jack thought about this for a second and looked to Rose, and quickly looked back before he could get lost in her beauty. Cal knew this would be a hilarious joke for the group tomorrow, and he quietly laughed. "Sure, count me in," Jack accepted. Cal nodded and turned to Rose and Gracie and quietly said, "This should be interesting…"

Jack stared at the three walking off, and Rose quickly turned around through the struggles that were Cal's arms and walked over to Jack. This was something she never did, and she always regretted it. "Jack, thank you for that," she said smiling, and then walked off. Jack was caught absent minded, and watched her until they were out of sight. One way or the other, he had completely fallen for Rose. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lovejoy moving slowly after the crowd and Jack quickly whistled at him. Lovejoy turned around and looked at Jack who had his coat in hand. "Can I bum a cigarette?" Jack asked. He needed a cigarette to calm his mind. Lovejoy pulled out a silver case, and opened it for him. He grabbed a cigarette for his mouth, and grabbed another for later.

Lovejoy looked down at Jack's shoes, and smiled. He had been caught. "You might want to tie those," Lovejoy murmured. Jack looked down at his shoes, and looked back up. "It's interesting that the young lady slipped so suddenly, and you still had time to remove your jacket and your shoes," Lovejoy smiled even wider in his discovery, and turned away to catch up with the others. Jack fiddled with the cigarette in his mouth, and was very confused with his emotion. The magnet feeling returned, and Jack went back down to steerage holding the urge to run somewhere else.

_This chapter was so much fun to write, and it didn't take that long either. I wrote in the car ride back from Nashville after my dad's surgery. I will start the next chapter tomorrow which will include up to the spitting part most likely. That might change. And about the cutting with the crab-fork part… It was in the script, so I added it. Simple as that. Please review! I haven't had reviews for the last few chapters and it has upset me. _


	6. Follow your heart

Rose sat in front of her mirror, brushing through her thick and curly hair. It was past dark, but she could still see the light through her eyelids. She hadn't been this happy in years. Love was overwhelming her. She looked down at her seventeen year old hands, and nothing had really changed from before tonight, except the fact that they had been in Jack's tight grip. She looked up into the mirror, and was stunned. Her facial features were bright, and her eyes were gleaming with excitement. Tomorrow would have a completely different outcome after the party in third class, and she would make sure of it.

In the reflection of the mirror appeared Cal in his nightgown, standing against the door seductively. She immediately looked at her feet and held her gaze before their eyes could meet. "I know you've been melancholy lately, and I don't pretend to know why," Cal said trying to show love towards Rose. She didn't pick that up last time she was in this position, but it certainly could show through now. She finally looked up to meet his eyes through the glass. Cal started towards her with a black box in his left hand and he was trying not to smile too much. Rose already knew what it was. "I intended to save this for the engagement gala next week, but I thought tonight," he said as he leaned up against the dresser.

He opened the petite box to expose the familiar blue necklace. She gasped, although it t wasn't anything of a surprise or astonishing to Rose now. She had seen it just the other day in her apartment, hidden deep inside her dresser. Rose felt rude not saying a word, but she knew that Cal didn't deserve the time of day. "Perhaps it's a reminder of my… feelings for you," he spoke still quiet after a moment of silence. "The heart of the ocean," she said robotically, not giving him the chance to let him speak about its past while stroking the blue diamonds. The diamond meant nothing to her, and it was extremely difficult to know that she was so poor, yet so rich.

"It's overwhelming," she said, still staring at her knees. The only emotional part was being in this same spot many years ago, not cal holding the most fought-after necklace in the world. "It's for royalty. We are royalty, Rose," he murmured looking down at Rose's eyes and leaning close to her face. She looked up at his and she knew what was he was going to say. "You know, there's nothing I couldn't give you. There's nothing I could deny you…if you would not deny me," he whispered smiling, "Now open your heart to me Rose."

It made her extremely angry as the memory of him giving her the necklace with hopes of getting to make love flowed back to her. She was nothing to him except a prize, and a red-haired, beautiful, young woman. His eyes were as black and endless as the abyss below as she stared into them. He smiled of a couple moments, waiting for Rose to take the initiative. "I'm sorry," she said breaking the silence with a rude tone. He stared at her, confused on why she was denying this after he had been such a gentleman. If a man bought a woman a piece of fine jewelry didn't that mean she was supposed to be under his spell for good? Was that really the proper thing to do in you weren't in love after all?

"I think it would be more proper to wait. After all, how amazing might a wedding be?" she lied, misusing her tone for those words. Her wedding had been a glorious day. It was near central park, and it was very small. It was the type of wedding she had always dreamed of. She invited a few close theater friends to be her Bridesmaids, and Joseph had looked extremely handsome. He was only two months older than her, and he had brown hair vaguely similar to Jack's. It was one of the reasons she had met him. He had a small British accent from the twelve years of his life he lived on the streets in London. His skin was slightly paler than Jack's and had freckles, but he had the personality that Rose had wanted. _You're going to get out of here, and you're going to go on and make lots of babies. You're going to die an old lady, warm in her bed. _

He was caring, loving, and he swept her off her feet multiple times. He was an excellent husband, and she loved him very much still. It almost felt wrong having affections for two hearts when the men both only wished that they would be happy. It's hard to forget your first love, when you compare everything else to how it was. Joseph had kept Rose sane when the Titanic memories had hit her like a ton of bricks, and gently rubbed her shoulders. He had known she had been on the ship, but he had no clue of her history. To Rose, post-metamorphosis only counted. _You must- you must do me this honor. You must promise me that you'll survive, that you won't give up, no matter what happens. _

The next flashbacks were from a completely different person, and tears started to ooze from her eyes. "_Rosie, be happy. Your heart is as endless as the ocean's depths and I can not tell all that you have been through. I have never asked about your past because I know it has hurt you, and I don't want it to anymore. I love you, Sophie, Isaac, and Jacquelyn with all of my heart, and you deserve to never be sad. I never want to see big crocodile tears streaming down your beautiful face," _he smiled weakly_, "You see someone through my eyes, and I have never understood why. I never asked because I love you too much to see you hurt. I'm sorry I'm passing so soon, but I know we'll be together later on and whatever- whoever awaits with me, I'll be grateful of them for being good to you. You deserve so much, Rose. Follow your heart and never forget that."_

The promises were similar and both had wanted the same thing for her. "I never intended for you to get upset about this matter, Rose," Cal said staring at her with confusion. She wiped a tear from her eye, and looked back into the mirror. "Just leave me be for now," Rose cried with emotion. "Alright. Be good, Sweet Pea," Cal said gently trying to calm Rose. He patted her shoulder, and walked across the room to the door. He quickly took another glance at her from behind, and then walked out. When Rose felt his presence was no longer near, she put her head on the vanity and started to cry some more until she realized it was a mistake.

She should shed no tears, because deep down she was happy. She was going to happy with a man she loved to the depths of her heart, just like Joseph said. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and walked over to the bed. As she crawled through the sheets, she was getting sleepier by the second. She knew that somewhere Jack was in his bed in steerage, and that he was thinking about her or this night. She was certainly thinking of him. She had never stopped thinking of him in the first place. After all, she was following her heart wasn't she?

_Alright, I know this chapter is way shorter than the others. I have been so busy lately, you just don't understand. I just got back from a weekend trip with the band, and unfortunately my laptop couldn't come along with me. I promise the next chapter will have some Jack and Rose interaction, and I promise things will get very good. I plan on including most of the deleted scenes, so if you haven't seen them, you have to go watch them on youtube. I guess you could say this chapter was a bridge. A very short bridge that you have to cross to get to the good part. Enjoy, and review! _


	7. Bonding with the past

"Mother, I am going to go mingle around the decks with some women my age. I'll be back soon," Rose told her mother after she had just put on her dress for the new day. She of course wasn't doing just that. She felt rejuvenated after last night, and already felt much freer than she had when she woke up in this miracle. Her mother gave her a peculiar look, and looked the other way with a sigh. "I suppose fresh air does provide some insight in our minds. You need to speak with Madeline Astor, the wife of John Jacob Astor. She is dying to meet with you. I suppose I could introduce you," her mother said quietly. Rose gasped in a hurry before her mother could make up her mind. "No, mother, I'll explore on my own. After all, I won't have you to show me around after I marry," Rose explained with a false smile. In her life her mother really hadn't been there for her wedding, of course.

Rose had her Maid of Honor, Louisa, plan the wedding and be her shoulder to cry on the day of it. It had been such an emotional day, and Rose truly did have cold feet. Almost as cold as the icy north Atlantic. It wasn't until she had hallucinated Jack standing in the mirror beside her that she did feel content enough to say, 'I do.' It was Jack that kept her from crying all of the time and giving up. "True, Rose. Do not make a fool of yourself though. I never want to be embarrassed by my daughter again in front of such people," her mother ordered. That was fine because Rose wasn't going to make a fool of herself in front of the first class anyway. She reflected back on this day from when she was here last, and it made her extremely happy.

She would go down to steerage to get Jack and they would then go take a long walk around decks with him. When she walked out of the first class door she remembered feeling how the sunlight felt. She felt the electricity run through her fingertips as her hand brushed the third class gate. She was beginning to get used to the 'been here before feeling' and now she was welcoming it with open arms. Her head barely turned to see the sign that warned the third class not to go through the gates. The discriminations against the classes were a terrible thing, and she couldn't comprehend why people had to be that way. Rose stood tall against the door the door that wouldn't lead to the third class common room, and she breathed in a great deal. She slowly went in the door.

The room was the center of the social life for every member of steerage. It was loud and often chaotic but there wasn't a single person not smiling or enjoying their time. Jack watched as a mother chased after her son on the floor and he smirked. He was so interested in the life of the class, and he was only interrupted by Cora tugging on his sleeve. She directed his attention to the funny faces she was drawing in his sketch book and he laughed. Today was such a wonderful day, he thought to himself. Behind him he could hear the conversation that Fabrizio was trying to make with a petite Norwegian girl. It took a few seconds for him to notice that suddenly the room was filled with no voices, and that it was quiet. Jack noticed that Fabrizio's head turned swiftly towards the aisle and Jack turned to see her.

Rose faintly smiled as she went by the people staring at her, and she looked up to finally meet Jack's eyes. They were holding steady with hers and she almost tripped. As if it took less than second, he was on his feet with his hands in his pockets. His scent mesmerized her as she got closer to him. "Hello, Jack," she said while entranced by his presence. Jack was completely flabbergasted, and he felt his mouth open like he was drooling. He quickly closed it, and smiled, "Hello again." Rose smiled, knowing that he would say that. She melted in his turquoise eyes.

"We need to talk, Jack. I-" she started but he interrupted. "Of course," he said when he got nervous about the fact he could feel Fabrizio and Tommy's eyes staring into his back. "In private?" he asked, and she was taken for surprise. She remembered being the one who had requested privacy. She simply nodded her head, taken by this. "After you," he smiled, and did a hand motion. She turned around slowly and started walking towards the stairwell. She turned to make sure he was coming and she noticed Jack hitting Tommy's shoulder. That made her smile and she strutted forward.

It felt so different walking side by side with Jack after seeing him die right in front of her. Everything felt so alive. She tied her fingers together in front of her waist, a habit she had started when she had courted Joseph. The sun that was shining down on them walking and the blush started to form on her face. The moment was perfect in itself, but it was getting too awkward. "So, Jack," Rose said, trying to start with small talk. She peered over at his face to see that, he too, had an awkward look. "You know, I feel terrible. I told you I was going to have to get you to write that name of yours down," Jack exclaimed a few thirty seconds later than Rose had spoke. She smiled at his personality that was shining through. Was it possible to be even more in love with him than she had?

Before time could pass, she answered, "Rose. Rose Dewitt Bukater. You don't have to remember the last name, because it truly is a mess." He looked over to her again, and smirked. "I'd say," he laughed. She smiled at the conversation they were slowly getting started. "Jack, I too, feel terrible. You just have no idea what's it been like. I mean, it took me forever to think about coming down to steerage to meet with you," she told. His face blushed as he got hopeful by those words. He had really never seen anything as beautiful as her. "Well, here you are, Rose," he smiled, trying to hold his voice steady. Rose also smiled just because her one syllable name slipped through his lips. "Tell me about yourself, Jack. I am awfully curious," she smiled. Although she hadn't ever forgotten a detail about him, she still wanted to remember every little detail she could and maybe he would say something new. That would be her lucky day.

He smiled at her because he felt that feeling he had earlier rush to him. It always seemed more powerful around Rose. "Well, I've been on my own since I was about fifteen when my folks died. They died in an awful fire that almost struck the whole town. I was lucky and happened to be drawing at the lake. But anyways, I had no other brothers or sisters, so I just lit on out of there and I haven't been back since," he informed her. This story amazed Rose to no extent. How could someone just have the energy and spirit to leave on their own at such a young age? "Well, Rose, we've walked an awful long time, just chewing on small talk, but I reckon that is why you came to talk to me is it?" he asked looking into her eyes. This time, he was the one mesmerized.

"Jack, I want to thank you for what you did. Not just for pulling me back, but for your discretion. There is such much else I want to say, but I don't know how to start," she murmured. He looked at her, confused. He wanted so much to hear inside of her head. He was genuinely interested in Rose now. "Anyone would look at me and think '_Poor little rich girl, what does she know about misery_' but they're wrong. I know everything," she confessed, letting her emotions spill out. It was so easy to talk to Jack about everything, and she missed him. He was standing right there, but she was talking about the times when she was lonely in New York City. "That's not what I was thinking. I was thinking about what could have happened to this girl to make her think she had no way out," he told her. He stopped at the decks and looked out towards the horizon.

It was everything. She was trapped, not once- but twice again with her mother and Caledon Hockley. She was desperately trying to restart a love she once had, while at the same time trying to make it last forever. She was a mess, and she was going to lie to Jack a bit. "It was everything really. It was my whole world and everyone in it and the inertia in my life. Plunging ahead and me being powerless to stop it. I know I can though, I just need something to help me, and I don't really know what it is," she told him. She really did know what could help her stop it, but that was one detail she would have to leave out for a while. He looked down at the immense ring that occupied her and finger and gasped.

He picked her hand up, and shocks ran through her. She was always going to be like this when he touched her. "God, look at that thing. You would've gone straight to the bottom," he smiled, while laughing under his voice. She smiled at his laughter and went away with the conversation. "Five hundred invitations have gone out, and all of Philadelphia society will be there. And all the while I feel like I am in a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs and no one even looks up," Rose ranted, continuing to spill her emotions and thoughts about the first class. He kept staring at her, very interested. She loved the fact that he would listen to anything she said. "Do you love him?" he asked. She had forgotten about that question. "Pardon me?" she said taken off guard.

"Do you love him?" he asked again, slightly smiling. She was fighting the smile that was slowly playing itself on to hers. "Not really," she said turning to look at the horizon as well. She could've stood there forever, standing like this. She was side-by-side with Jack and she felt his face staring her down. She looked down to his hands and recognized herself with the all too familiar sketchbook he was carrying. "You're an artist," she said, trying to make it sound like she was assuming such. "Yeah, I sketch a lot," he smiled. She looked back up to his face and spoke, "What kind of things do you draw, Mr. Dawson?" she asked implying things he wouldn't understand yet. It was hard to believe that he would see all of her tomorrow evening.

She grabbed the sketchbook from his hands, trying not to think too much about her hand that had just brushed his. She sat back onto one of the patio chairs, and opened the book. "These are good. Very good actually," she smiled as she rediscovered all of the drawings she had seen before. "Jack, this is exquisite work," she whispered to herself. She knew the nude drawings were on the next few pages, and his shoulders began to tense. "Eh, they didn't think too much of them in Paree," he said absent-mindedly. This was like she had never been here before, and she was living all of this the first time. "Paris," she mused to herself, "Jack you amaze me. I could never get around like you. After I got to New York, it took me forever to get- Well, when my Father took me many years ago," she said trying to explain. He laughed at her confused personality.

She flipped the page to find the one-legged prostitute that he had told her about. "Well, well, well, if Jack isn't a ladies man," she teased. He ran his large fingers through his hair, and laughed smoothly. "These were drawn from life," she said in her assuming tone again. "Yup, that's one good thing about Paris. Lots of girls willing to take their clothes off," he smiled, trying to laugh off his embarrassment. Rose felt horrible because of what thoughts were going through her mind at the moment, but she held quiet. She turned the page once more to see another drawing of the same girl. "She seems… nice?" Rose commented. Jack laughed at Rose's black expression, and said, "I didn't like her that way or anything, she was just nice. She had a good sense of humor."

Rose wanted so much to just hug him in an embrace, and tell him all about her life. He would be proud of her, and they could start a life of their own. "Well, you have a gift, Jack. Truly, you do," she smiled looking into his eyes, "You see people." When he looked up to meet her face, the sun hit it in the exact way, showing his tan skin and light freckles. It was quite a moment. "I see you," he said still staring at her. This was a moment she simply could not handle. Out of urge, and no more self-preservation, she grabbed hold of his hand. "I wouldn't have jumped," she smiled. The second she realized hat her hand could make a mistake, she got up and walked to the railing.

Before she could get lost in the endless ocean, Jack tugged her by the arm. The sun was starting to set and they walked on the other side of the deck now. "You know, my dream has always been to be an artist living in a garret, poor but free!" she smiled and frolicked up the pathway. "You wouldn't last two days out there Rose," he laughed and she halted. She raised one eyebrow and was suddenly serious. "I would too. You just happen to be talking to a girl who has flown an airplane right across Death Valley. Be generous," she informed him playfully. But that had been in 1925, and she couldn't have had access to a plane right now. Jack looked at her confused, and she smiled. "I could survive," she reassured him.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think that I was saying you couldn't," he apologized. Rose could never be angry with Jack. "You didn't," she smiled. She then saw the wooden movie camera that had been popular many years ago. The new silent film machines made for a much better movie. Rose's face lit up, and she grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him along side her. She posed her favorite pose from a 1920 film called _The Flapper_. The man that was filming with the wooden camera motioned for Rose to join in a small film he was making. "You're just about to leave your lover on the shore! You may never see him again. Act a little sadder, darling," He spoke loudly from behind the box. Those words shook Rose in many ways.

Regardless, she grabbed Jack from behind the camera and grabbed the collar of his shirt with such a dreadful look. The small movie then turned out to make Jack like a pasha, while slave girls fanned at him, and then somehow it turned out to make Jack on the ground begging for Rose's mercy. The man behind the camera busted out in laughter. "You're quite good, miss," he complimented. Rose turned and smiled to him and she grabbed Jack by the arm again. The two ran in laughter until the reached the railing that restrained them from going any further. Rose couldn't contain the laughing and it took them both a few minutes to catch their breath.

"So, what next, Jack?" she said trying to continue the small talk, even though there was no need for it. The orange sunset in the background was enough talking. "About what?" he asked looking at her again. "Your life," she mused. His face was extremely close to hers, and he smirked. Jack's friends from Paris did say that he was quite a ladies man. "Well, logging got to be too much work so I went down to Los Angeles to the pier in Santa Monica. I sketched portraits there for ten cents a piece. I made some good money, sometimes even a dollar a day in the summer. The business got low in the winter, so I went to Paris to see some real artists," he told her while carefully watching Rose's expressions. "You're a real artist," she told him. He laughed and shook his head.

"I've always wanted to be like you, Jack. Just head on out for the horizon whenever I feel like it," she said. She had traveled a little bit in her life. Thank goodness she had made it to both Santa Monica and Chippewa Falls before Joseph had gotten sick. "Say you and I go sometime to that pier, even if we only just talk about it," she said regretting those words. Last time they had this conversation, they only did just talk about it. She did all of which though. She had ridden the roller coasters until she threw up and got drank cheap beer too. Luckily, she had been just sober enough remember riding the horse on the surf. "No, we'll do it," he smiled, "We'll drink cheap beer, and ride the roller coasters until we throw up, and we'll ride horses on the beach. Right on the surf, but you'll have to ride like a real cowboy. None of that side saddle stuff," he smiled.

"One leg on each side? I can try. Can you show me?" she smiled. It had been almost like Jack had been there when she had rode the horse. The way the wind had been blowing, and the sound of the ocean waves sounded like laughter and the sun had been setting just like it was now. Jack's presence had certainly been there. "Sure, if you'd like," he smiled. Her smooth expression suddenly gave over to laughter as she suddenly remembered what was coming next. "Teach me to ride like a man," she said while raising one eyebrow. He looked at her with a peculiar look. "And chew Tobacco like a man," he said in a very southern accent. She busted out into laughter again she leaned up against his side. She noticed how they were getting closer, but the moment still was electrifying. "And last, but not even least; Teach me how to spit like a man," she said mocking his tone of voice.

"They didn't teach you that in finishing school?" he asked sarcastically. She shook her and laughed, "No." Jack's expression became very mischievous and he grabbed her hand. He pulled her to the other side of the deck. "I'll show you," he said while tugging at her. "Alright," she said giving in completely this time. When they got to the new rail, he patted her shoulder. "Watch closely," he ordered. He leaned his back backwards, and suddenly lunged forward spitting a huge wad of spit towards the horizon. Rose stared at this in amazement. "Your turn," he smiled. This time she didn't bother to look for her mother or anyone she knew. She spit as far as she could from the place she was standing and Jack just stared at her. "Wow, that wasn't bad. I'm impressed," he congratulated her.

She was full of happiness as she turned to see Jack's expression. It was then that her mother saw her, almost like a cue. Even though everything had yet to stay the same, maybe her mother would be a little nicer to Jack this time around. "Mother, may I introduce Jack Dawson," Rose smiled, looping her arm through his. "Mingling with women your age, Rose? But, charmed, I'm sure," Ruth said inspecting Jack with her beady eyes. "Mr. Dawson, here, saved my life last night. I fell overboard and he pulled me back over. He was of some grand assistance," Rose quoted trying to impress her mother's friends.

"Well, Jack, sounds like you're a good man to have around in a sticky spot," said Molly. Just then the bugle went off, signaling that dinner was soon and all of the women jumped except Rose. "Why do they always insist on announcing dinner like a damn cattle retard?" Molly asked rhetorically, and the whole group chuckled. The meeting was getting awkward and Rose fake laughed. Jack could tell that from what her real laughter had sounded like earlier. "Shall we go dress, Mother?" Rose asked, as she winked towards Jack. "Bye, Jack. I'll see you at dinner," she smiled being truthful.

Jack nodded and waved in a flirtatious way. He stared after her until she was out of sight, and Molly interrupted the last glance. "Son, do you have the slightest comprehension of what you're doing?" she asked. Jack quietly laughed to himself as he realized that was something his friends had said. "Not really, no," he laughed again. Molly couldn't help but to smirk and then she looked at him again. "Well, you're about to go into the snake pit. What are you planning to wear?" she asked truly concerned. Jack looked down at his clothes, and looked back up to shrug his shoulders. Molly rolled her eyes, and grabbed Jack's arm. "I figured. C'mon," she smiled while taking him under her wing. Jack followed her through the decks, and he looked behind to see the place where he and Rose had been standing. The feeling started to feel even more powerful, and he started to come to a new thought.

Maybe he had seen Rose before. There were women in Paris and Santa Monica that had to of looked similar to her. Lots of women had that fiery-red hair. He also became certain that he had drawn her too. Maybe he had. Only one thing was certain, and that was that he knew he was completely in love with her.

_Sorry that this took so long to update. I have been really busy. This chapter was a lot of fun to write! :] I try to edit things as I write, and this time I didn't really look for mistakes. So, please, if there are any (And knowing me, there is) please don't get angry with me over it. Keep reviewing! _


	8. The focus of life

The rooms seemed so immense compared the ones in Steerage. As Jack walked through Molly's suite he inspected everything and Molly chuckled as she saw him even stare at the ceiling. "Quite a room you got here," Jack said in awe. He brushed his fingers across an elegant clock on the mantel, and suddenly the clock stroke six O'clock, scaring him. He laughed and moved to inspect the next piece on the mantel. He resemembled a small child on Christmas Morning opening boxes of presents. Molly chuckled from the other side of the room, as she pulled a suit bag from the closet.

"Well, thank you, Jack," she said smiling. "A lady can't just go somewhere and not shop, so I found this for my son. He's always complaining about wearing fine clothes to any event we go to, so I thought he'd like this tuxedo much better than the old one we have. You look about the same size as he is, so why don't you try it on?" Molly suggested. Jack was stunned that a first class lady was willing to share her clothes with him, and the offer was very generous. He zipped up the bag to reveal a black suit, with some white shirt underneath it. Jack could only imagine himself wearing that tuxedo. He was only used to wearing what he find for a very cheap price, or something he found in a garbage can. What would Rose think of him in this? Would he look handsome to her?

"Molly, I can't wear this. Your son would get angry if I wore his clothes," Jack said. He peered into the bag again and began to feel out of place. "I can just spruce up my regular attire and be good to go," he said biting his lip. Molly stared at him with an eyebrow raised, and she smirked.

"No you can't just do that with these people. I'm telling ya' they're bad people. It took me a while to catch the concept of how to act when you have money," she told him. She reached inside the garment bag, and pulled out the suit to press it hard against Jack's chest. Jack playfully rolled his eyes and went over to the bathroom. He was amazed at the bathroom as well. "Jack, just tell me when you're ready. I'll probably have to tie your bow. My husband and I have been married for twenty-seven years and he still can't tie a damn one," she laughed as she went to sit on the sofa to wait. About five minutes later, Jack opened the bathroom door.

"My, my, my. You look mighty handsome," she smiled as she looked at him from head to toe. His black slacks and white blouse made his dark skin stick out like a sore thumb. Of course he would be called new money. He looked much better than most of the first class men on the ship already. She reached the white bow off of the dresser and started towards him to tie it. Molly knew that Rose would think Jack looked handsome, who wouldn't? She felt awfully sorry for her because there was no way in Hell that her mother would allow this behavior. After she tied the bow to Jack's blouse, she smiled trying to hold her expression together. Jack turned to look in the mirror after she was done, and he gasped at his reflection.

Rose had just finished getting Trudy to tie her corset and help put on her dress. She could barely breathe, but was entirely the corset's fault. Her mother seemed to notice how different she was acting, and it didn't at all please her. Ruth would never get in the way of them this time, not even for a moment. She was looking through the blurred memories of how Jack would look tonight in his Tuxedo when Cal intruded loudly in the room. His eyes were full of lust and energy, and were holding on tightly to hers. Rose walked around his frame and headed towards the door. He quickly grabbed her wrists and ordered, "You will come to me this evening after dinner. Well, after I have my brandy anyway. Is this clear?"

Rose broke her hand free of his clasp and walked out the door. She strutted to the end of the hallway and stood behind the wall, hiding. Her mother and Cal weren't too far behind her either. "I'm telling you, Mr. Hockley, it's just her nerves. You remember how fine she was a few weeks ago. It's only going to get worse as the ceremony gets closer," Ruth whispered while being escorted by Cal. He looked down and her and simply nodded. "I don't understand. It's like she has been acting different ever since that _rat_ saved her last night," Cal muttered so that Ruth could only hear. He was really ashamed to say that he might lose her to a member of the third class. Rose knew too well that she was already taken.

Jack lounged back on the elegant sofa in Molly's sitting room, and counted down the minutes. He was surprised how quickly Molly had gotten ready and walked out the door. She had told him that as long as he paid attention to the way all the other men acted, that he would be fine. Jack could only hope that that would be the truth. But the truth was that he wasn't trying to show anything to anyone but Rose. He was shaken from his deep thoughts when the clock chimed time to leave. He boosted himself from the comfy sofa, and flexed his shoulders through the stiff tuxedo. He paused in front of the mirror once more and took a deep breath. He looked so much more different. As he walked down the hallways that engulfed inner-beauty and fortune, he became to realize what he was gambling with.

And that feeling came back and hit him in return. _Hello, Jack. I've changed my mind,_ he heard whispering inside him. Jack suddenly grabbed his forehead, and leaned up against the marble walls. Was he going mad? He knew he would have to compose himself before he reached the dining saloon, so he pushed himself off of the wall and walked forward. The staircase was only a few feet away from him and he was getting more nervous by the minute. He felt out of place while walking, was he even doing it properly? Was there a rule for that kind of stuff? Was it an improper gesture to gaze at the beauty of the setting, or to stop by the grandest clock he had ever seen to watch it tick?

He started to pay attention to the gentleman that walked around his slow movements in aggravation and wondered if he should act that way. Jack decided to wait at a pole at the bottom of the steps for Rose, and her family. He dreaded seeing the _stiff_ that would probably be escorting her. He could really see what she was plunged in misery and he felt for her. A man casually grabbing a woman's arm caught his eye, and he mimicked his actions. The man nodded slightly towards him and jack bobbed his head in return, putting his arm behind his back. Out of nerves, he paced pack and forth in front of the final steps and then he heard the voice. Jack looked up to see a Rose's mother being escorted by the _stiff_. Where was rose? Did he just let her walk by herself? He hurried to compose himself to speak, but they didn't recognize him.

the

Rose eased herself down the staircase following her mother and Cal. She knew that Jack would be visible to her when she reached the clock. She finally took the last step and saw him there. He, of course, was looking a different direction, but there he was. He looked just the way he did those many years, if not more beautiful. She couldn't help but to smile, and hurry up her pace. He turned his head at the barely noticeable sound of her heels, clacking. She could hear the automatic gasp from his reaction and it immediately made her blush. He moved slowly closer to the first step and a smile was starting approach his face. This was the only meeting that deemed perfect for this moment, and sadly, it was the only of its kind.

Jack reached for her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. The moment was both too sweet and too sour. This was the first lip contact that they had had, and although it was a gentlemanly gesture, it meant everything to Rose. The sour part was the flashbacks of a weak Jack, kissing her hand, while dying in the water. How could he even focus on that? Jack had said when you are in that cold of water that you can't breathe, or think. "I saw that in a nickelodeon once, and I always wanted to do it," he laughed. Rose smiled the largest she had in quite a long time, maybe even in those seventeen years. "May I?" Jack asked, extending his arm for her to grab.

She gladly wove her arm through his, and smiled. Jack stiffened his shoulders and gave a mocking expression that made Rose snort. The two reached behind Ruth and Cal, and Rose quickly tapped Cal's back. He turned around swiftly, and his mouth dropped enormously. "Cal, surely you remember Mr. Dawson," Rose said smiling. She looked up to Jack's face and he smiled down at her.

"Dawson? I didn't even recognize you!" Cal said trying to keep his emotions from appearing on his face. Even though he didn't want them to, they certainly were shining through. He was caught off guard. He couldn't think of anything too witty to say, so he though of the first thing that came into his mind. He gulped quickly, and looked over Jack's clothing. "Amazing! You could _almost_ pass for a gentleman!" Cal knew he was very wrong. If he himself hadn't known that he was in the third class, he never would have guessed.

"Almost," smiled Jack. He knew that Cal was taken by his appearance this evening. He could also tell that Rose was. Every time that he would look at her, she'd be staring at him with a smile. This smile compared to nothing else in the world; like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. _When the ship docks, I'm getting off with you, _said the flashback suddenly screaming in his mind. Okay, so a ship was certainly apart of this feeling. Could it have been the ship that carried him over to London after his time Santa Monica? There were lots of red-haired women on that ship, and he had been drunk lots of times with a few friends. Maybe the flashbacks were being fueled from that. Maybe this was Karma and he was being re-paid for being an alcoholic.

Rose held her grip on Jack's arm tightly as she walked down the stairs with him. You could tell that he was nervous, but it was in a cute way. He was safe with her, and nothing would happen to him this time. She noticed that Jack was examining the people in the room, and Rose decided that it was better left unsaid about who the people were. "I utterly hate coming here. I don't fit well in the social status quo," Rose murmured quietly near his face. Jack looked down at her again and smiled. He completely understood.

"Care to escort a lady to dinner?" asked Molly Brown as she approached Jack to the side. She smiled at him with a way that Rose didn't understand. Did he and Molly have a private Joke?

"Certainly," smiled Jack. Molly wove her arm through his, and suddenly, Jack was the highlight of the room. It was not only rare that a gentleman was escorting two women, but also it was because he looked so handsome. "Aint nothing to it, Jack. Just pretend like you own a gold mine and you're in the club," molly said, giving advice to Jack. She, of course, knew exactly what she was talking about.

Rose remembered how it felt to be walking in here for the first time with Jack. Everyone staring, gossiping, and lusting over him. She then saw a couple that she was kindly fond with right in front of her, and even though they were the richest couple on the ship, they were definitely one of the nicest. "J.J., Madeleine, I'd like to introduce Jack Dawson," Rose smirked showing off her catch. Astor grabbed Jack's hand and shook it vigorously. "Hello, Jack. Are you of the Boston Dawson's?" It was like Astor to know everyone, especially the first class. He was one of the real gentlemen who went down respectively with the ship.

"No, the Chippewa Fall's Dawsons, actually," Jack said. Astor nodded as if he had heard of the place, and the people. "Oh, yes…," he said staring. Jack saw the dining room as a Ballroom in a palace. It was a place that was lit by a constellation of chandeliers and full of elegantly dressed people. The two maneuvered across the ocean of people, and finally arrived at their table. Jack pulled out Rose's chair for her and tried to even sit beside of her, but was quickly ridden of those ideas because of Cal.

The beginning of dinner was a blur to Rose, mainly because she was focusing on Jack. She would laugh along if it fit with the setting, and sometimes talk to Mr. Andrews if the need was necessary. While scanning the table, Jack smirked at her. Without knowing what happened to make him laugh, she did too. The situation _was_ funny she guessed. "So, tell us the accommodations of steerage, Mr. Dawson," Ruth insinuated with one eyebrow raised.

"Mother, stop, I'm sick of you being so rude. You talk about me being an embarrassment…" Rose barked to her mother across the table. Her mother laughed trying to shove off her daughter's comment, and apologized to the rest of the table for her Daughter's words. Out of the corner of Rose's eye, she saw Jack trying his hardest not to burst out into laughter. "It's the best I've seen ma'am. Hardly any rats," Jack smiled, playing along. Rose motioned for Jack to take his napkin off his plate, and Jack leaned back.

"Mr. Dawson is joining us from the third class this evening," Cal spoke happily about Jack for the first time, "He was of some assistance to my wife last night." He was more than that of assistance, he had saved her life. "Mr. Jack Dawson happened to save me. I was about to overboard the ship. It also turns out that he is a very fine artist as well," Rose announced to the table. Most of the table was enthused by what Rose had told them, but Cal kept a disgusted face. He had to make some sarcastic and witty comment. "Rose and I somewhat differ in our definition of fine art," he mumbled, paying attention to the waiter on his side, "Not to immune your work, sir." Rose absolutely hated Cal. It was all she could do to hold her voice from speaking.

"How do you take your caviar, sir?" asked the waiter. Rose hated Caviar as well as Jack. She suddenly remembered what Jack was getting ready to say. "No caviar for me, thanks. Never did like it much," Jack said, being serious. The table stared in awe because it was extremely rude to say no to someone offering something. Jack looked poker-faced back to Rose and she smiled.

"Are these all for me?" Jack asked, leaning towards Molly. The silverware was just a tad confusing for anyone. Who really needed all of those forks and spoons? The truth was that she had forgotten most of her table manners as well, so she laughed. "Just start on the outside and work your way in," Molly smiled.

"So, where exactly do you live, Mr. Dawson?" asked Ruth, trying to break the moment between the two. Jack looked back to her to answer. "Well, right now my address is the R.M.S. Titanic and after that, I'm on God's good humor," Jack spoke truthfully. Rose thought that was extremely ironic and cruel. It was times like this when she wondered why God had done this. Why did he take her from him so suddenly, why did he take such a good man with a heart truer than anyone else? Was there a purpose to that, and was it his good humor?

"And how is it that you have means to travel?" Ruth asked again. Rose thought her mother was severely pushing it. "Mother, that is none of your business to be asking," Rose snapped. Jack ignored Rose and continued on into his conversation with her mother. "I work my way from place to place, on trains and such. But, I won my ticket on Titanic, here, at a lucky hand at poker, a very lucky hand," Jack said, and peered back at Rose. She laughed. He was lucky.

"All life is a game of lucky," spoke a man from across the table, that rose was muffling out. Jack was the only thing in her world that even mattered at this moment. Except maybe her children. What were they doing at this moment? Were they asleep in their beds, wondering where their mother was? Rose very much wished that Jacquelyn could be there to see her father. "No, a real man makes his own luck," Cal argued. Rose put down her fork and stared over at him. "How untrue, Mr. Hockley. Luck is thrust upon you, and can only be given to you by surprise. It's all a part of God's good humor like Mr. Dawson, here, said," Rose murmured. She was finally starting to understand what miraculous things were in this world, and why they had a purpose.

Jack smiled over at her and smiled so brightly that even the blind could see. Jack had just fallen so much deeper into Rose's personality and loving her. "And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing to you?" Ruth asked. Jack looked from Rose to her, and blinked his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Molly turn her head in confusion. How could someone ask that?

"Well, yes ma'am, I do. I've got everything I need right here with me. I got air in my lungs, and few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning and not knowing what's going to happen," Jack spoke and turned to look at Rose again, unable to let Ruth's interruption stop him, "or who I'm going to meet or where I'm going to wind up. Just the other day, I was sleeping under a bridge, and now here I am, on the grandest ship in the world, having champagne with you fine people." This was one of the best concepts that Rose loved about Jack. He was endless, and spontaneous about everything. That was the perfect life, and it was also the way life should be lived.

After he had died, she had focused on that. She, of course, joined the theater, and went to Santa Monica. She flew an airplane over Death Valley once and just the day before, Joseph and she had been scrounging for food. Making each day count was how Jack had put it to her and that was her motto, and the only way she could survive.

"I figure life is a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know which hand you're going to get dealt next, you learn to take life as it comes at you," Jack remarked to Cal for his earlier comment, "to make each day count." Everyone stared at Jack in awe. The people at the table had probably never heard someone talk that way. Rose felt like standing up and starting applause for him.

"Well said, Jack," murmured Molly from beside him. The table was still in silence until Colonel Gracie rose his glass for Jack's words. Rose inhaled and looked back to Jack, and saw him for real for the first time in what was seventeen years. "That's truly the meaning in life. To making it count," She exclaimed, holding her glass up higher. The table also repeated the words and continued with the toast, but Cal and Ruth held utterly silent. Dinner went along with sheepish talk, and Rose and Jack smiled at each other the whole time. They laughed at the conversations the table was actually holding, and thinking about how ridiculous they actually were.

"Hey, Molly, can I borrow a pen?" Jack whispered into Molly's ear. She nodded and immediately started to dig in her bag. Jack tore off a piece of his napkin and started to write. This night would be worth while, and he it would start as the base for their relationship. He was going to how Rose that life could be lived without money and that being spontaneous was the best. You can never go on in life going, 'What if?' Life doesn't throw out many second chances, and if it does, then use them wisely. You have to take everything for granted.

Rose suddenly remembered what was going to happen next, and this pleased her. Dancing with Jack, and feeling like they had all of the time in the world if they were together. "Next, it'll be Brandies in the smoking room," Rose spoke low to Jack. He smiled as if he knew exactly what she meant, and the truth was that he did. The feeling he had been getting was getting much stronger every time he saw Rose. He could almost distance flashbacks of him and her dancing, and running the halls. 'Well, join me for a brandy, gentleman?" asked Gracie as he got up from the table. Jack laughed because Rose had just said that.

He stared into her eyes, and saw something he hadn't saw before. She looked like she had been focusing on remembering something too. That was extremely weird. Had she been getting those feelings as well? If she was, then that explained something at least. Maybe he wasn't just acting crazy, maybe they had met somewhere. But on a ship? He hadn't gotten that drunk on the last ship he was on to not remember someone like her. "Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe," Rose said, reading Jack's eyes. He nodded blankly and got up with the other men.

"Joining us, Dawson?" asked Gracie, "You don't want to stay out here with the women do you?" Jack actually did. He laughed at that, and continued on, "No, I better be heading back." Cal snickered from the behind, and patted Jack on the shoulder. "Probably best. It'll be all business and Politics and that sort of thing. Wouldn't interest you. Hey, Dawson, good of you to come," commented Cal. Jack rolled his eyes after he had passed, and slowly walked over to Rose.

"I didn't mean that for you to leave," Rose muttered to him. Jack liked that she had said that, because that had meant she liked him. "It's time to go row with the other slaves," he laughed. She snickered although she knew that wasn't what he was going to do. "Goodnight, Rose," he spoke like a gentleman, and leaned over for her hand. He kissed it gently, longer this time, like he meant for it to be something else. She was blushing so much that she didn't notice him leaving, or feeling the note he had left in her palm. Jack turned to make sure she had seen it. She felt her mother's eyes peering at him, and she put the note down to read it. She already knew what it said, but she read it anyways. It looked just like it did the last time. She put the note in her pocket, and told her mother she was going to the stateroom for the night.

Rose made her way across the foyer near the grand staircase, and saw him there waiting. He had his back to her, and he heard the sound of her feet, and slowly turned to smile. "So, do you want to go to a real Party?" Rose nodded quietly, and took his hand in hers. The two whisked off to another world, another world away from everything else, away from coming disaster.


End file.
